SOUTH AFRICAN BASKETBALL - KZN STYLE

DEFENCE

Basketball defense isn't just about having quickness and good skills; it actually requires an immense effort and a lot of brain power to study your opponents. To play defense well, you need to have strong self-discipline and determination. Whether short or tall, lean or muscular, if you play defense with great skills and a smart brain, there will almost always be a uniform for you.

The first step of playing good basketball defense is to ask yourself these questions:

·                  What are your opponent's favorite shots?

·                  Is he right-handed or left-handed?

·                  What is his favorite move?

·                  Does he cut to the basket a lot?

·                  Will we need to double-team him?

The better you know your enemy, the more likely you will be able to outsmart him.

 


HOW TO PLAY DEFENCE

BODY POSITION AND WEIGHT

Most coaches seem to want players to get in a lower crouch than players want to do. Most players, it seems, want to stand erect. So, how low should you be? A good rule to follow is this:
Make sure your head is always lower than the head of the guy you are guarding.


If you stay lower than him, you will be more ready to move than him. If he lowers his head to drive, you need to lower your head even more to stay in front of him.

Players get blocking fouls when their knees are OUT. If you will examine a little further, you will see that their heads were up, too! At the moment of the block, the defender's head is likely higher than the dribbler's.

Besides being lower than your man, you should have your weight back. Be ready to move when he moves. Get in your man's bubble and have your weight back.

Players often stay away from their man. When the man fakes or looks to shoot or pass, it's only then, they move forward So, what happens? You get to the bubble (to the man); but, your weight is forward so that you can not possibly beat him to where he is going.

Imagine trying to win a hundred yard dash. One guy is in the starting blocks ready to burst forward. You start several feet in front of him; but, you have to touch the starting line when the gun goes off. Obviously, you would be several steps behind after ten yards. Apparently, this isn't as obvious to some basketball players. In games at all levels, players stay too far from their men. At times, they lunge forward, and the guy with the ball blows right by them.

Why do players allow this to happen? If you want to win a race, you have to lean in the direction of the finish line. In basketball you have to lean in the direction of the basket. This is the finish line your guy wants to beat you to!


 


HOW TO PLAY DEFENCE

GET IN HIS BUBBLE

"Bubble" is not a term used by all coaches; however, the term is useful to remind YOU to play in a GOOD defensive position. Unless your coach gives you some other rule, Good Defensive Position means not so close that the player, with the ball, can step by you with ONE step. Yet, you want to be close enough that you could slap the ball if he should hold it in front. In other words, be close enough to bother him. Make him worry. Make him think you will touch his next pass, block his next shot, or steal his next dribble.

To play good defense you must consistently be in that bubble. Even along with playing good helping defense, you should be able to get in your man's bubble EVERY TIME he gets the BALL. Strive to get there the moment he gets it. If you can do this, YOU will be a constant irritation. This is exactly what you want to be.

You can not expect to be a good defensive player if: one day, you try stealing the ball ALL THE TIME because that player IS NOT TALENTED; then, the next day, you stay far away because he is MORE TALENTED.

Why should you be in his bubble if he is forty feet from the basket? Well, that's so You can bother his ball handling. Make it difficult for him to take the ball exactly where he wants it, or to make the exact pass at the exact time he wants to make it.

If YOUR COACH tells you NOT to pick him up UNTIL he's within shooting range, DO WHAT HE SAYS! But, if he DOESN'T GIVE YOU a rule, OR it's a SUMMER LEAGUE or PICK-UP GAME, ... GET IN HIS BUBBLE ... AND ... STAY THERE!!!

Now, use common sense! I don't mean for you to be beside your man ALL THE TIME. DO NOT BE THERE when the BALL is on the OTHER SIDE OF THE COURT. When things are this way, YOU need to be in a position to HELP A TEAMMATE. REMEMBER: The CLOSER the BALL to YOUR MAN, the CLOSER YOU MUST BE TO HIM. This is because the moment he gets the ball, YOU WANT TO be IN his bubble, ... NOT ON YOUR WAY, there. Be where you can WORRY him. Make him think to himself, "Oh, no! Here you are again!"

To be effective you don't have to block a shot or deflect a single pass. If you are merely in position all night long where you CAN, ... AND he can't GET AWAY from YOU, ... YOU will be a great defensive player.

 


PLAYER POSITIONS EXPLAINED

1. POINT GUARD

The point guard (Left:  MANNY MADONDO - SA Point Guard 1999-2005) runs the offense and watches the backcourt. His role is so important to the team that he is really an extension of the coach on the floor. He must have these qualities
He must have an instinctive knowledge of the game.
He must be a good ball handler.
He must be a good passer.
He must possess speed and quickness of foot.
He must be a good dribbler with either hand.
He must be able to play good hard-nosed defense.
He must be able to hit the outside shot when left open.
He must be able to penetrate and dish off.
He must be able to read defenses.
Above all, his ego must not be so inflated that it interferes with his basketball judgment. Normally, the point guard receives little publicity for his fine play; but, his coach and teammates know his value to the team.


SHOOTING GUARD

The off-guard is also referred to as the #2 guard or shooting guard. He is generally the better shooter of the two guards. The qualities that he needs to possess are:

He must have an instinctive knowledge of the game.
He must be a good ball handler.
He must be a good passer.
He must possess speed and quickness of foot.
He must be a good dribbler with either hand.
He must be able to play good hard-nosed defense.
He must be able to hit the 15 to 20 foot shot with consistency.
He must be able to penetrate and dish off.
He must be able to read defenses.
He must know how to move without the ball.
He must be a student of the offense so that he can step in and run the offense if the point guard is being overplayed, or must leave the game.
His ego must not be so inflated that it interferes with his basketball judgment. Normally, the off-guard's job is to put points on the board and help his teammates to score


SMALL FORWARD

The small forward is the most gifted player on the team. He should possess the following characteristics:

He must be quick and fast.
He must be an adequate rebounder.
He must be a good passer.
He must be able to play defense anywhere on the floor.
Most of all he must be a good scorer, capable of shooting from anywhere from the wings, around the key, and under the boards. The best of these, can score at will, and simply take control of the game with their exceptional athletic abilities.
He must run the length of the floor on fast breaks.


POWER FORWARD / CENTRE

Like the point guard, the power, or strong forward, does not receive much recognition. Usually, if he's doing his job well, his role as the player doing the "dirty work" is taken for granted. He must possess the following:

He must be a solid rebounder, both offensively and defensively. Along with the center, the power forward controls the area inside the key. Many of their characteristics should be similar.
He must be an adequate passer.
He must be an adequate scorer.
He must be a "gutsy" dribbler and a hard driver.
He must be a good runner and able to go the entire length of the floor on a fast break.
He must stand up to the opposition at both ends of the court. In basketball parlance, he is known as the "enforcer."